The HF dust collector is on sale for 169.99 right now which makes it approx. 136.00 with a 20 off coupon before tax. Anyone know if this is about as good as it gets for the HF collector, i am thinking about picking it up as my large shop vac just doesn’t cut the mustard for my G0771 saw. I see most like to modify it with a separator, i will likely eventually do this, but in the interim, how does the collector perform in it’s stock configuration?

134 replies so far

I’m just going off memory, but I got mine a few years ago and used the coupon from Wood magazine to get it down to $150ish I think? $136 sounds like a steal. Just keep in mind that’s about half your investment: you still need all the plumbing, depending on what route you want to take. Harbor Freight sells a Dust Collection kit too that I think is around $50 or so – has some 4” hose, a pair of blast gates, a few tool ports, etc. It’s not the greatest quality, but it gets the job done, and the price can’t be beat (especially if you go back on another day and use another 20% coupon).

As for performance… Even stock (mine is still stock too – those mods have been on my “to do” list for a while too) it’s a night-and-day difference over a shop-vac. Dust Collection on a Table Saw isn’t too great no matter what you do, but you’ll notice a difference. I wouldn’t dream of using my router table, planer, or jointer without the collector though.

You’ve got to remember that not only is it the cheapest priced, but it’s the cheapest made. I wouldn’t waste my time and money on one. By the time that most people upgrade the filter, for not that much more they could of had a far better made unit.

I am considering it, i am fully aware that it will not be as good as a name brand, but for the minimal capital outlay, expectations can be similar. I only have the one stationary tool right now (table saw), will be adding a router extension to the saw as well, so i dont need much plumbing. A single 10’ hose straight to the collector will be fine for now. However, i an not too convinced that the collector will do much for me on the table saw unless i have overhead collection as well. As it is now, the cabinet catches most dust and i clean the cabinet occasionally. Will the dust collector attached to the cabinet do much to prevent the dust that is slung on top of the material and away from the blade?

I have always had luck stacking a coupon on top of a sale, i am not aware of any rules preventing this.

Thanks Alexl, The dust collector was waiting in the shopping cart for some time now waiting for me to find time to press that buy button. You saved me some bucks! It will be a good addition to my Jet Air Filter that was (still is) on 30% off sale on black Friday and G0771 that is being Fedexed to me as we speak.From what I read in different forums and saw on yotube the DC is “Serviceable” ( Copyright C. by lumberjocks folks).

Some people replace the air bag with Wynn 35A filter, that is supposed to turn cheap HF dust collector into a high end unit as Wynn claims.

I wouldn t categorically say its a hunk of junk. I know a lot of guys have used them and are satisfied.

My philosophy is something is way cheaper than something else for a reason but that doesn t mean it won t suit your needs.

Just because its HF I would suspect its not going to stack up well against brand names of the same HP.I don t know of any specific testing, but I ve read the HF collectors are way overrated for CFM s.

If it meets your specs, go for it.

- rwe2156

And why a motor with an impeller, metal cover and two bags should cost more than $170?It is not a precise instrument that requires tight tolerance machining.Agree that more expensive units might have lower noise level and probably better reliability, but for a hobbyist that turns on his equipment a few times a week for an hour total or so buying a $1000 dust collector might be overkill.

Yes the coupon does work with the sale price. Put one in the cart then applied the coupon code and it gives the discount. Didn’t order one though. I’m looking at the Shop Fox wall-mounted 1hp unit. The runs in my shop will be short and only one machine running at a time. Anyone know anything about the Shop Fox W1826?

i picked one up 4 months ago. geo the two(or3?) year warranty with it and added a 1 micron bag. getting set to build a seperator. it may not be the advertised 2 hp or 1500 cfm, but its worked great on my ts, mitersaw, router table, and planer. will prolly work great for the jointer im getting soon,too.

I don’t have experience with the HFT DC but even if the motor isn’t a true 2HP motor, you can’t buy a just new comparable motor for $136. Frankly, I get pretty good DC from my shop vac so if you can get any more suction than that it would be worth the $136. The filter bag and impeller might not be the best but there are ways around that too. John Heisz for example moved the filter bag on the intake side by building a PW box around it to protect the impeller from large object strikes and doesn’t take much more space in the shop. A cleaver approach. These cloth filter bags actually filter better as they get clogged up with dust. Matthias Wandel did a good Youtube video on that a while back that might be work a look. He uses a particulate sensor to test the results. I think that his DC is only rated at 1 HP if memory serves.

I’ve heard people say that adding a cartridge filter to a HFT DC will be almost as expensive as a buying a better system that already has a cartridge but the only one I’ve seen that might be close is the low end 2 HP Grizzly (~$430 plus shipping) and it would still be over $150 dollars more than the HFT with a Wynn filter kit added on. You could probably buy 2 HFT DCs and a Wynn kit for the price of the Grizzly and have a backup if it breaks down. So the math of the naysayers doesn’t compute.

-- Nathan, TX -- Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.